Summary

The yeast OMP decarboxylase gene has been cloned in the phage fd in both orientations to obtain pure DNA of each strand. With these probes the transcription of each strand of the yeast gene was measured in wild type yeast, either repressed or induced, in a yeast strain transformed by an hybrid plasmid containing the OMPdecase gene, and in E. coli strains bearing the yeast gene cloned in different plasmids. In yeast it appears that in all conditions tested transcription was asymmetrical, 95% being transcribed from one strand. In E. coli, transcription of the yeast gene occurred on both strands.

Summary

We have carried out experiments aimed at explaining the observed variations in transformation frequencies when Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Saccharomyces carlbergensis are transformed with chimeric plasmids that contain one of 4 possible EcoRI fragments of the yeast 2-μm circle. These plasmids fall into 2 classes when used to transform 2 different yeast his3 auxotrophs, one (strain LL20) harbours indigenous 2-μm circle, and the other (strain YF233) is devoid of this plasmid. Hybrid plasmids containing either the 2.4 mega-dalton (mD) R-form EcoRI fragment (pYF88) or the l.4 mD L-form EcoRI fragment (pYF177) of 2-μm circle transform either of the two hosts at a high frequency (50,000 colonies per Mg in LL20 and 10,000 colonies per μg in YF233). Hybrid plasmids containing the 1.5 mD R-form EcoRI fragment (pYF87) or the 2.5 mD L-form EcoRI fragment (pYF178) of the 2-μm circle transform LL20 at a reduced frequency (6,000–16,000 colonies per μg) and YF233 at extremely low frequencies (1–5 colonies per μg). All plasmids retrieved from strain YF233 that had been transformed with pYF88 or pYF177 were identical to the original transforming plasmid. Of the plasmids retrieved from strain LL20 that had been transformed with pYF87 and pYF178, approximately half had acquired an extra copy of the 2-μm circle. Of the plasmids retrieved from strain LL20 that had been transformed with pYF88 and pYF177, an average of only approximately 13% had acquired an extra copy of 2-μm circle. Taken together, these observations indicate that the transformation of yeast by a plasmid lacking the ability to replicate (pYF87 and pYF1780) occurs by the recombinational acquisition of 1 copy of the host 2-μm circle, which serves to supply the incoming plasmid with missing essential sequences. A comparison of 2-μm circle DNA fragments carried by pYF88 and pYF177 indicates that the region of 2-μm circle required for high frequency transformation is a 1.2 mD segment that is common to the 2.4 mD R-form and 1.4 ml) L-form EcoRI fragments. This region extends from the EcoRI cut site adjacent to the PstI site, through to the end of the inverted repeat. However, the inverted repeat sequence alone is not sufficient to bestow high frequency transformation of yeast.

Hybrid plasmids have been constructed containing segments of the yeast plasmid 2 μ DNA, the yeast ochre-suppressing SUP4.0 gene and the bacterial plasmid pBR322. Yeast transformation is detected with a host containing multiple ochre auxotrophic mutations. The transformed SUP4.0 gene is active and can promote growth in the absence of all the requirements. Plasmids containing different fragments of 2 μ DNA all appear to be active in high frequency transformation of yeast containing 2 μ DNA, except those containing the HindlII-D fragment. The transforming plasmids undergo recombination with the indigenous 2 μ DNA. Integration of the transforming plasmid into the host chromosome has been detected by hybridization of restriction enzyme cleaved DNA with labelled pBR322. The plasmids contain restriction enzyme sites which can be used for cloning other genes into yeast.

Summary

A mutant yeast constitutive for synthesis of both dihydroorotic acid dehydrogenase and orotidine 5′ phosphate decarboxylase has been isolated. This phenotype is due to a single gene unlinked to any of the five genes of the pyrimidine pathway. This gene, called ppr1, induces the unlinked genes ural and ura3. Non-chromosomal cloned ura3 is also under the control of ppr1.

Summary

The expression of the lacZ gene of E. coli in S. cerevisiae has been studied. The enzymatic activity coded by the lacZ gene in E. coli, β-galactosidase, is detectable in yeast cells harboring a chimeric plasmid carrying the gene. On the basis of size and immunological criteria, no difference was detected between the Coli-in-yeast β-galactosidase and the E. coli enzyme.

Summary

Treatment of haploid strains of the petite negative yeast Schizosaccharomyces pomhe with ethidium bromide prior to mating with untreated cells reduces transmission of mitochondrial markers from the treated strains. This effect is fully reversible after 20 generations of growth in drug free medium before mating. In contrast to the petite positive yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where nuclear DNA synthesis is not affected but mitochondrial DNA is degraded in the presence of 20 μg/ml ethidium bromide, the same concentration decreases both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA synthesis in Schizosaccharomyces pomhe. After removal of the drug, nuclear DNA synthesis increases faster than its mitochondrial counterpart in Schizosaccharomyces pomhe.

Summary

Chloroplast mutations in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii exhibit a predominantly maternal pattern of inheritance and this pattern can be perturbed by UV irradiation of the maternal gametes prior to mating. In a series of crosses over a range of UV doses, the transmission, segregation, and recombination of mutations at three closely linked chloroplast loci have been examined by pedigree analysis of products arising from the first three post-zygotic divisions. Stocks used in these crosses were constructed to permit identification of the nuclear products of each of the two meiotic divisions and the first post-meiotic mitotic division.

A bias toward maternal alleles at all three chloroplast loci was observed in all pedigrees and in zygote clones analyzed from the same crosses many generations after meiosis. This bias decreased with increasing UV dose and with each subsequent division. Segregation of chloroplast genes was rapid during the first three post-zygotic divisions. The type of segregation event from which a given heteroplasmic cell arose had a significant effect on its most likely segregation. pattern in the subsequent division. The results presented here have been discussed in terms of published models of chloroplast gene segregation.

Summary

In crosses of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the chloroplast genes are normally transmitted exclusively by the maternal parent to zygospore progeny. However, transmission of the paternal chloroplast alleles can be increased markedly by certain pretreatments of the maternal parent prior to mating. As zygospores age prior to induction of meiosis, they display decreased biparental transmission of chloroplast alleles and increased transmission of chloroplast alleles from only the maternal or paternal parent. In this report, chloroplast genome composition of biparental zygospores is shown to change in several ways during zygospore maturation. Allelic ratios of chloroplast genes within biparental zygospore clones become maternally or paternally skewed as the zygospores age, cotransmission of chloroplast alleles is reduced, and recombination increases, resulting in an expansion of genetic map distances between chloroplast markers used in this cross. The recovery of unequal frequencies of zygospore progeny expressing reciprocal recombinant genotypes confirms and extends other reports of the predominance of nonreciprocal recombination in organelle genetic systems.

Summary

Physical evidence indicates that the chloroplast DNA of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is composed of approximately 75 copies of a small unique sequence. Genetic analysis of zygotes biparental for chloroplast genes shows rapid vegetative segregation of parental chloroplast alleles. Zygote clones composed entirely of homoplasmic progeny cells predominate within 10–20 post-mating generations. A model is proposed here which reconciles the high multiplicity of chloroplast genes with their rapid vegetative segregation rates. Clustering of genomes into a small number of discrete areas (nucleoids) within the chloroplast reduces the effective number of segregating units. A non-random distribution of nucleoids to daughter cells, dictated solely by the spatial arrangement of parental nucleoids with respect to the plane of chloroplast division, further increases the rate of segregation from heteroplasmic cells. Recombination between parental chloroplast genomes is viewed as an indication of nucleoid fusion, and can account for differences in the patterns and rates of segregation at different gene loci. Within such fused nucleoids, clustering of parental genomes and a non-random distribution, again based solely on physical positioning of the genomes, to daughter nucleoids, could act to promote rapid genetic purification of heteroplasmic nucleoids. The effects of biased parental nucleoid ratios, and of potentially unequal nucleoid distributions to daughter chloroplasts are also discussed with respect to observed rates and patterns of chloroplast gene segregation.